Two youths from Rajpura in Patiala district were arrested at Amritsar International Airport on Saturday night after being deported by the US in a military aircraft carrying 116 illegal Indian immigrants.
The duo, Sandeep Singh alias Sunny and Pradeep Singh, were wanted in connection with a 2023 murder case registered in Rajpura. The arrests were made shortly after the C-17 aircraft, which arrived around 11:35 pm, landed as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
The aircraft was the second batch of deportations since February 5, with 65 deportees hailing from Punjab. Following immigration and background checks, the deportees were transported home in police vehicles, with Haryana authorities also arranging transportation for their own deportees. A third flight carrying 157 deportees was expected to arrive on Sunday.
The murder case against Sandeep and four others was filed in June 2023, with Pradeep’s name later added to the FIR. A team led by the SHO of Rajpura police station was stationed at the airport to take the accused into custody.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also voiced his opposition to the arrival of deportation flights in Amritsar, urging that the holy city should not be treated as a deportation hub. “Do not make our holy city a deportation center… Would they allow deportation flights to land in Vatican City if the deportees were from there?” he said during a conversation with reporters.
(With PTI Inputs)